Taking on Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s bastion Amethi, Union Minister of Textiles, Smriti Irani mocked Rahul Gandhi for distributing Israeli origin Banana saplings to Amethi farmers. “I came to know that Rahul Gandhi is getting bananas seeds of foreign origin planted here, he could not get even banana plants in the country… he should know that poverty cannot be eradicated by planting a couple of banana saplings,” she said.

Irani was in Amethi on Monday to inaugurate various schemes worth Rs 77 crores. She laid the foundation stones of projects and dedicating infrastructure, including 49 connecting roads in Amethi among others.

The Union Minister also called out Gandhi for criticising the RSS and yet taking ideas from them. “Rahul Gandhi criticises the RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi all over the country but he is treading the RSS path of planting banana trees,” Irani said.

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Praising the work done by the RSS in Amethi, Irani said, “Despite Congress governments ill treating RSS cadre, the Sangh-run Bhaurao Deoras Sewa Nyas is in the process of setting up a Rs 10 crore healthcare facility for Amethi. This is what Sangh is,” Irani said. “Even banana plant gift idea was born out of the distribution of plants and fruits to over 50000 families of Amethi by Bhaurao Deoras Swwa Nyas a few months back.”

Irani attacked Gandhi family for doing nothing for Amethi, she said what they failed to do in 60 years, the BJP government managed to do in just over four years. “Rahul has been an MP for the past 15 years and no ‘rozgar mela’ was organised… it was done during the Modi government’s tenure and over 7,500 unemployed youths are likely to get jobs due to it,” she said.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya also spok on the occasion and assured that the state government will leave no stone unturned for development of Amethi.

Irani had contested from Amethi in 2014. She lost the elections but managed to succeed to reduce the Congress leader’s victory margin to 1 lakh votes in 2014, down from 3 lakh five years earlier.

Times Now's tweets reflect the general attitude of the Indian elite towards Hindu festivals. While everything negative is associated with Hindu festivals, an aura of celebratory mood is spread on the occasion of Abrahamic festivals.